Environmental monitoring programs
Despite the risk assessments for each licence and oceanographic modelling demonstrating the farming activity is low environmental risk, Clean Seas must have EPA-approved environmental monitoring programs and have also invested in additional environmental monitoring of seagrass in the area (FRDC project 2018-186).
An ongoing environmental monitoring program (EMP) to assess and manage any environmental risks associated with the farming activity has been developed by PIRSA and the EPA at a site and regional level. At a site level, video footage of the benthic habitat in and immediately adjacent the lease sites is required to demonstrate changes to the habitat (which is predominately sand). At a regional level, video footage of seagrass communities is required to monitor any changes to the seagrass condition and cover. These data will contribute to FRDC project 2018-186 and complement the EPA’s ecosystem monitoring program for Fitzgerald Bay. See more detail on the Fitzgerald Bay EMP ( ) and the amended Fitzgerald Bay EMP ( ).
In June 2020, the FRDC project 2018-186 developed in conjunction with PIRSA (including SARDI), Clean Seas and the EPA commenced. The project aims to assess whether there is any influence of finfish aquaculture derived nutrients on seagrasses in the Fitzgerald Bay area. The project uses benthic video, physical sampling of seagrass and biomarking technology, as well as the collection of oceanographic data to monitor the overall condition and cover of the seagrass communities in Fitzgerald Bay. It is anticipated this research will provide a better understanding of any potential impacts of nutrients from finfish aquaculture on the seagrasses and assist with assessing the future management of aquaculture in such scenarios.
FRDC project milestones
Baseline data for the FRDC project 2018-186 was collected in May 2020. Below are the first three data milestone reports.
Environmental data collected
Water samples to measure planktonic communities for phytoplankton and picoplankton were taken in September 2021 as part of the regional EMP. See the results for phytoplankton ( ) and picoplankton ( ).